Many antiperspirant and deodorants use actives that are astringent metallic salts, or in particular, aluminum salts. While aluminum is highly effective as an active, there is consumer interest in antiperspirants and deodorants that do not contain aluminum.
Piroctone olamine is an anti-dandruff active used in shampoos, conditioners, and other treatments. Piroctone olamine can be an effective antimicrobial, but used alone as an active, it may not deliver the hoped for consumer performance. The inventors of the present invention have found, surprisingly, that the combination of piroctone olamine and other antimicrobials can provide significant antimicrobial activity against two of the most common underarm odor bacteria C. mucofaciens and S. epidermidis, which results in consumer odor protection on par or greater than some of the commonly used commercial deodorants available today.
Also to consider is that impurities can reduce the efficacy of piroctone olamine. Therefore, there is a need to develop products that mitigate this phenomenon and provide higher efficacy. The inventors of the present invention have found that select combinations of chelators and piroctone olamine, such as in an anhydrous formulation or in particular ratios, can provide significantly higher levels of anti-fungal activity than either material alone.
Furthermore, while antimicrobials in antiperspirants and deodorants are known to be able to reduce the microbes on the skin, microbes within hair follicles may still remain and contribute to malodor. The inventors of the present invention have found that piroctone olamine and other antimicrobial powders, if used at a size that can fit into a hair follicle, can deliver surprisingly superior antimicrobial activity.
By utilizing piroctone olamine in combination with appropriate antimicrobials, chelators, and/or at particular particle sizes, the present invention delivers compositions and products with superior antimicrobial performance.